Wärtsilä was contracted to supply its Direct Electric Heating (Wärtsilä DEH) system for Chevron Overseas Congo Limited’s Lianzi offshore development project, located off the Republic of Congo and Angolan coasts.

The 9,000-kW system will be used to heat the 43-km subsea production pipeline between the Lianzi field and the Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) platform. The Lianzi field lies approximately 100 km off the coast of the Republic of Congo, and the BBLT platform i…s located in Angola. The pipeline lies in some 900 metres of water. DEH is a flow assurance tool used to avoid ice-like structures called hydrate plugs and the appearance of wax in production flow lines.

One of Wärtsilä’s core competences is the ability to design and tune the DEH system according to the pipe and heating cable needed for the subsea conditions. A special power system analysis to ensure the unit’s integrity with the platform system is included with every delivery.